Flexible input/output devices for use in process control systems

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed that provide flexible input/output device communications in a process control system. In one example, a process control system controls a plurality of field devices. The process control system includes a control device and a communications protocol component. The communications protocol component has at least one communications channel that is selectively configurable to use at least a first or second communications protocol and to communicate with at least one of the field devices.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to process control systems and, moreparticularly, to flexible input/output devices for use in processcontrol systems.

BACKGROUND

Process control systems are widely used in factories and/or plants inwhich products are manufactured or processes are controlled (e.g.,chemical manufacturing, power plant control, etc.) Process controlsystems are also used in the harvesting of natural resources such as,for example, oil and gas drilling and handling processes, etc. Virtuallyany manufacturing process, resource harvesting process, etc. can beautomated through the application of one or more process controlsystems.

The manner in which process control systems are implemented has evolvedover the years. Older generations of process control systems weretypically implemented using dedicated, centralized hardware. However,modern process control systems are typically implemented using a highlydistributed network of workstations, intelligent controllers, smartfield devices, and the like, some or all of which may perform a portionof an overall process control strategy or scheme. In particular, mostmodern process control systems include smart field devices and otherprocess control components that are communicatively coupled to eachother and/or to one or more controllers via one or more digital databusses. Of course, many of these modern process control systems may alsoinclude non-smart field devices such as, for example, 4-20 milliamp (mA)devices, 0-10 volts direct current (VDC) devices, etc., which aretypically coupled directly to controllers as opposed to a shared digitaldata bus or the like.

In any event, field devices include, for example, input devices (e.g.,devices such as sensors that provide status signals that are indicativeof process control parameters such as, for example, temperature,pressure, flow rate, etc.), as well as control operators or actuatorsthat perform actions in response to commands received from controllersand/or other field devices. For example, a controller may send signalsto a valve to increase pressure or flow, to a heater or chiller tochange a temperature, to a mixer to agitate ingredients in a processcontrol system, etc.

One particularly important aspect of process control system designinvolves the manner in which field devices are communicatively coupledto each other, controllers and other systems or devices within a processcontrol system. In general, the various communication channels, linksand paths that enable the field devices to function within the processcontrol system are commonly collectively referred to as an input/output(“I/O”) communication network.

Traditionally, many communication protocols and busses have been used tointerface smart field devices to a controller or other control device.The control device (e.g., a controller) typically includes or is coupledto an I/O device having a communications protocol component, oftentermed the “master,” which activates and exchanges data with the smartfield devices, often termed “slave” devices. In these known systems, themaster must be configured to conform to the device specifications of thefield devices (e.g., the particular communications protocol used by thefield device). Consequently, there was a requirement for the user toalways choose a particular protocol or set of devices supported by themanufacturer of the I/O device and/or to use different I/O devices orcards for each of the specific communication protocols needed tocommunicate with the various field devices used.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect, a process control system, which controlsa plurality of field devices, includes a control device and acommunications protocol component. The communications protocol componenthas at least one communications channel that is selectively configurableto use a first or second communications protocol and to communicate withat least one of the field devices.

In accordance with another aspect, an input/output device for use in aprocess control system includes at least a first communications channelto establish communications between at least one of a plurality of fielddevices and a control device. The communications are established usingat least one of a first available communications protocol or a secondavailable communications protocol.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a method of controlling aplurality of field devices includes initializing an input/output (“I/O”)device that includes a communications protocol component having at leastone communications channel. The method further includes configuring theat least one communications channel to use at least a first availablecommunications protocol or a second available communications protocol.In addition, the method includes communicating with one of the fielddevices via the at least one communications channel using the at leastfirst communications protocol or second communications protocol.

In accordance with still another aspect, a method of using aninput/output device in a process control system to communicate using aplurality of communication protocols includes configuring at least afirst one of a plurality of communication channels on the input/outputdevice to communicate with at least one of a plurality of field devicesusing a first communications protocol. The method further includesconfiguring at least a second one of the plurality of communicationchannels on the input/output device to communicate with at least anotherone of the plurality of field devices using a second communicationsprotocol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a block diagram of an example process control system that usesthe flexible input/output devices and methods described herein.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of a portion of the exampleprocess control system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating aspects of an exampleconfiguration tool described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process for controlling fielddevices in the example process control system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an alternative example process forcontrolling field devices in the example process control system of FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an example system that may be usedand/or programmed to implement the example apparatus and methodsdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following describes example apparatus and systemsincluding, among other components, software and/or firmware executed onhardware, it should be noted that such systems are merely illustrativeand should not be considered as limiting. For example, it iscontemplated that any or all of these hardware, software, and firmwarecomponents could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively insoftware, or in any combination of hardware and software. Accordingly,while the following describes example apparatus and systems, persons ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the examplesprovided are not the only way to implement such apparatus and systems.

As used herein the phrase “input/output device” (i.e., “I/O device”)includes any hardware and/or software used to communicatively couple oneor more field devices to a process controller. In some implementations,the I/O device may be a separate card (i.e., an I/O card) that iscoupled to the controller via a bus. In other implementations, some orall of the functionality of the I/O device may be integral with thecontroller. Thus, the phrases “I/O device” and “I/O card” may be usedinterchangeably throughout the description provided herein.

Typically I/O devices or cards are programmed or configured so that aprocess controller may communicate with field devices via a singlespecified communications protocol. These known I/O cards enablecommunication with a plurality of field devices that use the specifiedprotocol. If it is desired to enable the controller to communicate witha variety of field devices that use different communication protocols, aseparate I/O card is typically required for each of the differentcommunication protocols used. However, this can significantly increasethe costs associated with installation, configuration, operation andmaintenance of a system in which a variety of communication protocolsare used to communicate with a plurality of different field devices.

In some such systems, for example, utilization of the I/O device(s)and/or the I/O cards may be relatively low such that each of a number ofI/O cards may be needed to communicate with relatively few field devicesthat use a particular communications protocol. In other words, whileeach I/O card may have the capability to communicate with a much largernumber of field devices, a much smaller number of field devices isactually in communication with each I/O card because a separate I/O cardis used for each type of communications protocol used by the fielddevices. Further, adding and/or replacing one or more field devices withone or more field devices that use a communications protocol that isdifferent than any of those supported by the I/O cards in an I/O devicerequires the installation and configuration of yet another I/O card tosupport that further communications protocol.

Unlike known systems and methods, the example systems and methodsdescribed herein may be used to communicatively couple a controller toone or more field devices using a variety of protocols via a single I/Odevice or card. More specifically, as described herein, an exampleprocess control system that may be used to control a plurality of fielddevices includes an I/O device or card that has a master orcommunications protocol component. The communications protocol componentincludes a plurality of reconfigurable components, each of whichcorresponds to an I/O port. Each reconfigurable component isconfigurable to use one of a plurality of communication protocolsdepending on the specification of the associated field device with whichthe controller communicates via that I/O port. Thus, in this manner,different communication protocols may be used simultaneously tocommunicate with different field devices via the same I/O card ordevice. When it is desirable to change the field device(s) coupled to anI/O port, the reconfigurable component associated with the I/O port maybe, if needed, reconfigured to use a different communications protocolto communicate with the new field device(s). Thus, the communicationsprotocol is selectable within the I/O device or card on a per connection(e.g., I/O port) basis. As a result, the I/O device or card providesflexibility to the process control system in that many field devicesthat communicate via a plurality of different communication protocolsmay be coupled to the process control system via a single I/O device orcard.

The reconfigurable components of the communications protocol componentmay be configured using a configuration application that is associatedwith the process control system. The configuration application may becreated using one (i.e., a single) tool, such as an applicationconfigured to be executed via a workstation. In addition, theconfiguration application may provide beneficial attributes, includingthat it is incorporated within an object-oriented database and isself-documenting. The configuration application may also provideinformation related to the sensing of the field devices by an I/O deviceor card, may be configured to assign and/or clear address assignments ofthe field devices, and may be configured to use a device definition todescribe an input, an output, or a parameter associated with aparticular field device. Still further, the configuration applicationmay be configured to generate signal tags with labels related to thedevice definition, may be configured to generate device alerts on a perfield device basis for any one of a plurality of communication protocolsused to communicate with the field devices, and may support pass-throughcommunications from a workstation-based device configurationapplication. Additionally, a handheld configuration tool may be used toassign addresses to the field devices.

Now turning to FIG. 1, an example distributed control system or processcontrol system 10 uses the flexible input/output (I/O) devices andmethods described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the process control system10 includes a control device or controller 12, and a workstation forexample a configuration engineer or operator station 14, which may becoupled to the controller 12 via a bus or network such as, for example,a local area network (LAN) 20, which is commonly referred to as anapplication control network (ACN). The operator station 14 may beimplemented using one or more workstations or any other suitablecomputer systems or processing units. For example, the operator station14 could be implemented using single processor personal computers,single or multi-processor workstations, etc. In addition, the LAN 20 maybe implemented using any desired communication medium and protocol. Forexample, the LAN 20 may be based on a hardwired or wireless Ethernetcommunication scheme, which is well known and, thus, is not described ingreater detail herein. However, as will be readily appreciated by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art, any other suitable communication mediaand protocol(s) could be used.

The operator station 14 includes a memory 26 for storing a processcontrol configuration system 52, which is alternatively referred to as aprocess control configuration routine, application or tool 52 as isdescribed in greater detail below in connection with FIGS. 3-5. Theoperator station 14 also includes a processor 16 that executes theconfiguration tool 52. The configuration tool 52 may be used by one ormore operators, engineers or other users, for example, to document thetypes and locations of field devices used in the process control system10 and/or to review or change the configuration of the process controlsystem 10. The configuration tool 52 may also be used to documentinformation pertaining to individual control elements such as thecontroller 12, an I/O device or card 30, one or more of the fielddevices used within the system 10 and any functions or sub-routineswithin the process control routine(s) or process control software to beexecuted by the controller 12 and/or the field devices during runtime.Furthermore, the configuration tool 52 may communicate with thecontroller 12 to download configuration information and/or receive anddisplay information pertaining to the process during operation of theprocess control system 10.

The operator station 14 may also include a process control configurationdatabase 18 to store the process control configuration information usedby the configuration tool 52. The database 18 may be stored in thememory 26 or in any other desired memory communicatively coupled to theprocess control system 10.

The controller 12 may be coupled to a plurality of smart field devices22 via a plurality of communication links or channels 28, which may beimplemented as digital data buses, and the I/O card or device 30, whichmay be referred to as a flexible I/O device, card or interface card. Asdescribed in greater detail in connection with FIG. 2 below, theflexible I/O device or interface card 30 provides a plurality ofconnections or ports 48, each of which corresponds to one of thecommunication channels 28. Each of the connections or communicationchannels 28 may be individually configured to use any one of a pluralityof available communication protocols. For example, each of thecommunication channels 28 may be individually configured to use one ofthe Fieldbus, Profibus, HART®, Honeywell DE, Foxboro FoxCom®, or anyother communication protocols. As a result, in operation, the flexibleI/O device 30 may simultaneously use a combination of differentcommunication protocols to communicate with the field devices 22 via thecommunication channels 28. Additionally, it should be understood thateach of the communication channels 28 may be coupled to multiple ones ofthe field devices 22 that communicates with the I/O device 30 using thesame communications protocol. For example, some of the smart fielddevices 22 may be Fieldbus compliant valves, actuators, sensors, etc.,in which case those smart field devices 22 communicate via one or moreof the communication channels 28 configured to use the well-knownFieldbus protocol. Of course, other types of smart field devices andcommunication protocols could be used instead or in addition to thoseemploying the Fieldbus protocol. For example, the smart field devices 22could include Profibus or HART® compliant devices that communicate viathe communication channels 28 configured to use the well-known Profibusand HART® communication protocols. Still further, additional I/O devicesand redundant I/O devices (similar or identical to the I/O device 30)may be coupled to the controller 12 to enable additional groups of smartfield devices, which may be Fieldbus devices, HART® devices, etc., tocommunicate with the controller 12.

In addition to coupling various I/O devices 30, which are configurableto use different combinations of communication protocols, to thecontroller 12, the example I/O device 30 and any additional I/Odevice(s) may also communicate via the communication channels 28 usingany variety and/or combination of the communication protocols namedherein, and/or any other known or later developed communicationprotocols.

Thus, the flexible I/O device 30 enables the mixing and matching offield devices, which may be made by different manufacturers and/or whichemploy different communication protocols, on the ports, connections orcommunication channels of the I/O device 30. Such flexibility may enablean optimum implementation (e.g., selection of a combination of fielddevices based on the performance/cost characteristics of the devicesrather than having to select devices that all use a singlecommunications protocol) and the ability to readily replace one or moreof the field devices 22 with field devices that communicate viadifferent communication protocol(s) without incurring additional cost orneeding to install different or additional I/O devices. For example, theflexible I/O device 30 could be configured to simultaneously thatsupport Honeywell DE protocol on several channels or ports and the HART®protocol on other channels or ports. Similarly, the I/O device 30 couldbe configured to simultaneously support the Foxboro FoxCom® protocol onseveral channels or ports and the HART® protocol on other channels orports. Furthermore, the example process system 10 allows for the use ofanalog communications (e.g., Analog 4-20 mA) with the field devices 22if desired, as well as combination analog and digital communications ifsupported by the protocol that is implemented on one of the channels 28.

Furthermore, as mentioned above and described in greater detail below,in addition to supporting multiple communication protocols on differentones of the communication channels 28 or associated ports 48, theflexible I/O device 30 enables each of the communication channels 28 orports 48 to be independently reconfigured. Thus, a communicationschannel 28 that is configured to use one communications protocol maylater be programmed to use a second different communications protocol.Thus, when one of the field devices 22 fails, needs to be removed formaintenance, or is otherwise replaced, the failed field device may bedecoupled or removed from the process control system 10, and areplacement field device may be coupled to the process control system 10via the same communications channel 28, i.e., into the same port of theI/O device 30. In the case where the replacement field device 22 uses acommunications protocol that is different than that used by thereplaced, failed field device, the communications channel 28 via whichthe replacement field device communicates with the I/O device 30 can bereconfigured to use the communications protocol used by the replacementfield device. For example, a system operator, configuration engineer orother user may use the configuration tool 52 to reconfigure thecommunications channel 28 to communicate with the replacement fielddevice. The reconfiguration of any one of the communication channels 28does not affect the operation of any other one of the communicationchannels 28.

In addition to the smart field devices 22, one or more non-smart fielddevices 32 and 34 may also be communicatively coupled to the controller12. The non-smart field devices 32 and 34 may be, for example,conventional 4-20 mA or 0-10 VDC devices that communicate with thecontroller 12 via respective hardwired links 36 and 38.

The controller 12 may be, for example, a DeltaV™ controller sold byFisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. and Emerson Process Management™. However,any other controller may be used instead. Further, while only onecontroller is shown in FIG. 1, additional controllers of any desiredtype or combination of types could be coupled to the LAN 20. Inoperation, the controller 12 may perform one or more process controlroutines associated with the process control system 10 that have beengenerated by a system engineer or other system operator using theoperator station 14 and which have been downloaded to and instantiatedin the controller 12 and/or the field devices 22.

FIG. 1 also shows that the example process control system 10 may includea remote operator station or communications device 50, which may be, forexample, a handheld configuration tool that supports services related toinstallation and/or maintenance of the field devices 22. The examplehandheld configuration tool 50 may be implemented using an AS-i(Actuator Sensor Interface) bus and/or any other hardware platform,communications protocol, etc. Furthermore, with some communicationprotocols such as, for example, the HART® protocol, the handheldconfiguration tool 50 may have additional functional capabilities suchas, for example, the ability to serve as a secondary master orcommunications protocol component.

Furthermore, as discussed in greater detail below, in operation, thehandheld configuration tool 50 may be used to assign addresses to thefield devices 22. Typically, field devices 22 are provided by themanufacturer with a default address assigned thereto. Consequently twofield devices (e.g., field devices 22 a and 22 b of FIG. 2), which maybe produced by the same or different manufacturers, may initially havethe same address. In the case where two field devices coupled to thecontroller 12 have the same address, the controller 12 cannotcommunicate with both devices properly because an attempt to sendinformation to one device may result in an unintentional reception ofthe information at the second device. In addition, the communicationsprotocol may be improperly configured where the two identicallyaddressed devices do not use the same communications protocol. One wayto resolve this problem is to use the handheld configuration tool 50 toremotely reassign addresses to the field devices 22 upon coupling thefield devices 22 to the process control system 10.

As described above, addresses may be assigned or reassigned to the fielddevices 22 at the time a field device 22 is added to the process controlsystem 10, or at any other time desired. Assigning addresses to thefield devices 22 may be performed offline, for example, with thehandheld configuration tool 50, or automatically by the process controlsystem 10 via, for example, the configuration tool 52 and the controller12. The configuration tool 52 may also provide the capability to clearthe address of any one of the field devices 22. The handheldconfiguration tool 50 may not be needed to assign/clear addressesbecause the process control system 10 and, specifically, theconfiguration tool 52, may clear and/or assign addresses to the fielddevices 22. However, as described above, the handheld configuration tool50 also facilitates field operations such as, for example, routinemaintenance, troubleshooting or repair.

The address of a field device is incorporated into a signal tag, whichmay be generated by the configuration tool 52 for use with valid inputsand outputs. Thus, the signal tag for a field device may include anaddress such as, for example, “T101.” In addition, the signal tag mayinclude a label. The label is a descriptive term or phrase by which theoperator or configuration engineer, maintenance personal, or other usercan readily identify the type of device, a specific device, or a type ofmeasurement or reading made by a device associated with the signal.Thus, a label may read, for example, “Boiler Feedwater Temperature.”Furthermore, the signal tags may also include definitions associatedwith the field devices 22. These device definitions provide additionalinformation about a field device. For example, the device definitionsmay describe at least an input, an output and a parameter associatedwith each of the particular field devices 22. Such device definitionscan be imported into the configurations database 18 in a bulk format, orthe user can create device definitions from product descriptions as eachof the field device 22 is added to the system 10 or at any other time.Cues, prompts, etc. to facilitate the creation or generation of thedevice definitions, i.e., defining the inputs, outputs, and parameters,may be provided to the user via the operator station 14 based on thecommunications profile of the field devices 22, which includes thecommunication protocol(s) needed to communicate with the field devices22. Additionally, the configuration tool 52 may use the devicedefinitions to describe the inputs, outputs, and parameters of the fielddevices 22. The use of such device definitions eliminates userconfiguration errors. Also, the example process control system 10 mayprovide a hierarchical view of the network devices based, at least inpart, upon the signal tags, i.e., the defined inputs and outputs, thelabels and the device definitions. The hierarchical view may begenerated automatically.

The example systems and methods described herein also offer otherbenefits. For example, a user may be alerted to various states oroperating conditions of a particular field device on a per device basis,regardless of the communications protocol used to communicate with thedevice. For example if a certain parameter measured by a field devicereaches an unsafe level, the operator may be alerted of the state of thefield device and/or of what specific actions to take. In addition, theoperator may be alerted to the absence of a field device. For example,during configuration, which is described in greater detail below, anoperator may expect a response from a particular field device aftersending the field device a specific message. When the expected responseis not received by the operator, the operator may be alerted that thefield device has failed, is not configured correctly so the field devicedoes not understand the communication, or is otherwise absent or notavailable.

Further, the system 10 supports pass-through communications from aworkstation-based device configuration application. One such exampleapplication is the Asset Management Solutions (AMS®) series of softwareprograms provided by Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. and Emerson ProcessManagement™, which provides support to personnel at a manufacturingplant implementing the example process control system 10 in variousareas including device configuration, calibration and diagnosis ofequipment problems. This allows for device configuration and managementsuch as, for example, changes in the field devices 22, to be handledregardless of the implementation of the host process control system.

The example process control system 10 may also support other digitalcommunication networks in place of analog networks (i.e., for example,those using the 4-20 mA analog signal). Such networks may be digital,bi-directional, multidrop, serial-bus, communications networks used tolink isolated field devices, such as controllers, transducers, actuatorsand sensors, These networks may include, for example, Profibus PA. Theseother networks may be supported on a per channel basis to allow foreasier migration of field devices to these high speed, all digitalcommunication protocols. The methodology may also be extended to remoteterminal units (RTUs) or stand alone controllers such as Fisher RemoteOperations Controllers (ROCs), which are general-purpose RTUs designedfor a variety of measurement and control applications, or similardevices.

Now turning to FIG. 2, a more detailed portion of the example controlsystem 10 of FIG. 1 is shown. In a DeltaV™ distributed control system,for example, a communications protocol component 24, which may also bereferred to as the master, resides on the I/O device 30 coupled to thecontroller 12, as shown in FIG. 2. Configuration of communicationchannels 28 a, 28 b, 28 c and 28 n, which is also described in greaterbelow, may be performed via a workstation such as, for example, theoperator station 14, and the configuration information may betransferred via the network 20 to the controller 12 and the I/O device30. The I/O device 30 may include a direct human interface, such as pushbuttons or the like, that enables local field configuration of thecommunications protocol component 24. In the case where there is nodirect human interface to the I/O device 30, the communications protocolcomponent 24 may be configured using the configuration tool 52associated with the example control system 10 by, for example, extendingthe functionality of the known DeltaV™ Explorer software of the operatorstation 14, as described below.

The example I/O device 30 includes a controller interface 40, via whichthe I/O device 30 communicates with the controller 12, a processor 42and a memory 44, which operate similarly to the processor 16 and thememory 26 illustrated in and described in connection with FIG. 1. Theexample I/O device 30 also includes the communications protocolcomponent 24, which has a plurality of reconfigurable communicationports or modules 46 a, 46 b, 46 c and 46 n. The reconfigurablecommunication modules 46 a-n correspond to a respective one of thecommunication channels 28 a-n and/or ports 48 a-n.

While four reconfigurable communication ports or modules (i.e., 46 a-n)and four corresponding communication channels or links (i.e., 28 a-n)are shown, more or fewer reconfigurable communication ports or modulesand communication channels or links may be used instead. Additionally,multiple I/O devices or cards similar or identical to the I/O device 30may be coupled to the controller 12 and/or multiple field devices may becoupled to each or any combination of the communication channels 28 a-n.

As described in greater detail below, when one of the field devices 22is coupled to the I/O device 30 via one of the communication channels 28a-n, communication ports 48 a-n and modules 46 a-n, the configurationtool 52 may be used to configure or reconfigure the one of the modules46 a-n to which the field device 22 is coupled to use the communicationsprotocol used by that field device 22, thereby enabling the controller12 to communicate with the field device 22.

The configuration tool 52 may provide a single or integrated softwaretool that enables configuration of the communications protocol component24, including the configurable communications modules 46 a-n containedtherein. Further, the configuration tool 52 may be an intuitiveapplication running on one or more workstations, such as the operatorstation 14 (described above). More specifically, the configuration tool52 may, for example, be implemented as a software program for use on apersonal computer similar to the aforementioned AMS® software. Theconfiguration of the process control system 10 (FIG. 1) and the devicenetwork 20 are incorporated into and managed with the database 18, whichmay be a single object-oriented database. When a single object-orienteddatabase is implemented, the need for managing and synchronizingconfiguration data across multiple configuration databases iseliminated. However, an alternative or secondary database may beincluded with the I/O device 30 if desired.

As mentioned above, the configuration of the network 20 may be displayedas an easily understood hierarchy, and the configuration application 52is self-documenting. Because the configuration of the network 20 isself-documenting, information related to the process control system 10is readily available to the user and does not need to be translated whenused by different views or divisions (i.e., maintenance, operations,etc.). For example, in some known systems, an operator configuring acommunications channel for a particular field device may analyze thefield device and consult secondary materials such as a workbook todetermine what communications protocol to use to communicate with thefield device as well as to access a variety of other information suchas, for example, maintenance records for the device etc.

The example process control system 10 is self-documenting and, thus,each of the field devices 22 is adapted to provide information aboutitself via the communication channels or links 28. As a result, thefield devices 22 may be accessed directly or auto-sensed when anauto-sense mechanism is integrated with the configuration application ortool 52 (as described below with FIG. 5). In any case, informationrelating to the field devices 22 may be readily displayed to the uservia the configuration tool 52. Such information may include a devicetag, maintenance information such as the last calibration, revisions orself-test information, or other operating information and/orinstructions such as the appropriate communications protocol to be usedto communicate with the device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the configuration toolor application 52 described herein. The functional blocks of FIG. 3 maybe implemented using any desired combination of software, firmware, andhardware. For example, one ore more microprocessors, microcontrollers,application specific circuits (ASICs), etc. may access instructionsand/or data stored on machine or processor accessible storage media tocarry out the methods and to implement the apparatus described herein.

As shown in FIG. 3, the configuration tool 52 includes a self-documentor54 that is used to document various information, statistics, facts, etc.relating to the configuration of field devices coupled to the processcontrol system 10 (e.g., the field devices 22). The configuration tool52 also has a field device sensor 56 that may sense the presence of oneor more of the field devices 22 coupled to the process control system 10and provide information related thereto. Further, the configuration tool52 has an importer 58 that may be used to import device definitionsand/or information related to creating device definitions into thedatabase 18. The importer 58 may import such information in a bulkformat or via a user initialized creation.

The configuration application 52 also includes a series of generators60, 62 and 64. In particular, a definition generator 60 generates devicedefinitions using product descriptions, which may be informationimported by the importer 58. A tag generator 62 generates signal tagswith labels that relate to the device definitions. Finally, an alertgenerator 64 generates alerts for one or more of the field devices 22based upon the operational states of the relevant field devices 22. Thedevice alerts may be generated on a per field device basis.

The configuration tool 52 also includes several other componentsincluding, without limitation, a redundancy manager 66 that may be usedto support redundant I/O devices 30 and a passthrough communicationsmanager 68, which enables the operator or field engineer to managevarious aspects of the process control system 10 including deviceconfiguration and management, regardless of the implementation of thehost process control system 10.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict flow diagrams of example methods that may be usedto configure reconfigurable modules (e.g., modules 46 a-n), ports (e.g.,ports 48 a-n) and communication links (e.g., communication channels 28a-n) in process control systems (e.g., the process control system 10 ofFIGS. 1 and 2). In an example implementation, the flow diagrams of FIGS.4 and 5 are representative of example machine readable and executableinstructions for implementing the example configuration tool 52 of FIGS.1-3. In the example implementation, the machine readable instructionscomprise a program for execution by a processor such as the processor212 shown in the example processor system 210 of FIG. 6. The program maybe embodied in software stored on a tangible medium such as a CD-ROM, afloppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk (“DVD”), or a memoryassociated with the processor 212 and/or embodied in firmware ordedicated hardware in a well-known manner. For example, theconfiguration tool 52 (FIGS. 1-3), the I/O device, the controller, etc.could be implemented using software, hardware, and/or firmware. Further,although the example program is described with reference to theflowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, persons of ordinary skill inthe art will readily appreciate that many other methods of implementingthe configuration tool 52 may alternatively be used. For example, theorder of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of theblocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined.

FIG. 4 outlines an example process that may be performed by theconfiguration tool 52 to control the plurality of field devices 22 viathe flexible I/O device 30. As described herein, the communicationsprotocol may be flexibly selected for each of the plurality of fielddevices 22 on a per channel or per connection basis. A configurationengineer or operator working at a workstation (e.g., the operatorstation 14) and implementing the configuration tool 52 may haveinformation or data relating to the hierarchy and/or architecture of theprocess control system 10. That is, the operator may have knowledge orinformation concerning what field devices are installed and if and whena field device has been removed and/or replaced. Typically, a fielddevice is only added, removed, replaced, etc., upon the issuance of awork permit or order. In the case that such a work permit or order isrequired, the operator typically possesses knowledge or informationregarding the status, arrangement, and layout of the process controlsystem 10. Based on this knowledge or information, the operator may beable to determine with substantial certainty what communicationsprotocol is used to communicate with each of a plurality of fielddevices (e.g., the devices 22 a-n) coupled to an I/O device (e.g., theI/O device 30) via a plurality of communication links (e.g., thecommunication channels 28 a-n). In some instances, the operator may knowprecisely what type of field device (as well as its communicationsprotocol) is coupled to a particular communications channel and, atother times, the operator may not have any knowledge or information ofthe configuration details of the process control system 10. In anyevent, the channel configuration tool 52 may be used to provide theoperator with the information needed to enable proper configuration ofthe communication channels 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, for each communications channel 28, an operatorselects a communications protocol for communication over the selectedcommunications channel 28 (block 70). This may also be done randomly orusing a predetermined sequence of communication protocols selected bythe configuration tool 52. Once a communications protocol for thecommunications channel 28 is selected, the configuration tool 52 sends amessage over the selected communications channel using the selectedcommunications protocol (block 72). The message may be, for example, acommand that requests a response by a field device 22 that is coupled tothe communications channel 28 if the field device 22 understands (i.e.,can process and interpret) the message. Thus, if the field device 22does understand the message, and a response is received (block 74),which may, for example, provide signal tags and device specificinformation, the configuration tool 52 configures that communicationschannel 28 (including the associated port 48 and reconfigurable module46) to communicate using that communications protocol, which enables thecontroller 12 to communicate with the field device 22 using a protoclthe field device 22 understands (block 76). Once the communicationschannel 28 has been properly configured, the configuration tool 52 mayproceed to evaluate another communications channel 28 (block 78) byreturning control to block 70.

When, after sending a communication over the selected communicationschannel 28 with the selected communications protocol, the configurationtool 52 or operator does not receive a response (block 74), theconfiguration tool 52 or operator determines if a response was expectedfor that communications channel 28 (block 80). If a response wasexpected, i.e., the configuration tool 52 or the operator hadpre-knowledge or information that a field device is (or should be)coupled to that communications channel 28 and, thus, expected to receivea response from that field device, the configuration tool 52 or operatorcan confirm that no field device is coupled to that communicationschannel 28 or that the field device 22 coupled thereto, if any, does notuse the chosen communications protocol. Consequently, the configurationtool 52 or operator can begin the process again to either attemptconfiguration of a different communications channel 28 or attemptconfiguration of the same communications channel 28 again but with adifferent communications protocol (block 78).

If the configuration tool 52 or operator expected to receive a responseover the communications channel 28 upon sending a message over thecommunications channel 28 using the communications protocol (block 80),then the configuration tool 52 or the operator expected a field device22 to be coupled to that communications channel 28 that uses theselected communications protocol. This situation may lead to thegeneration of an alert (discussed above) to indicate that the resultsare not as expected. Also, this situation may indicate that there is nofield device coupled to that communications channel 28 or,alternatively, if there is a field device 22 coupled thereto, that thefield device 22 uses a communications protocol to communicate differentthan the communications protocol that was used to communicate over thatcommunications channel 28 at block 74.

In addition, the configuration tool 52 or the operator may attemptconfiguration of the same communications channel 28 with the sameprotocol again (block 82) any number of times, for instance, until adesirable result (e.g., a field device response) is received.Alternatively, the configuration tool 52 or the operator can selectanother communications protocol (block 84) to use to communicate overthe communications channel 28 to determine if a field device coupled tothat communications channel 28 uses another communications protocol tocommunicate. Upon trying the same communications channel 28 with anothercommunications protocol (block 84), the process begins again (block 70).

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an alternative auto-sense configurationprocess 86 that may be performed by the configuration tool 52. In FIG.5, the configuration tool 52 operates to automatically sense fielddevices and the associated communication protocols. During theauto-sense configuration process 86, the configuration tool 52 selects acommunications channel, for example communications channel a, forconfiguration (block 88). The configuration tool 52 also selects aspecific communications protocol, for example communications protocol x,with which to attempt communications over the selected communicationschannel (a) (block 90). Once the communications channel (a) and thecommunications protocol (x) are selected, the configuration tool 52sends a communication via the communications channel (a) using thecommunications protocol (x) (block 92). The configuration tool 52 thendetermines if a response has been received (block 94).

If a response has been received (block 94), then the configuration tool52 determines that the field device coupled to the communicationschannel (a) uses the communications protocol (x), and the configurationtool 52 configures the communications channel (a) for thatcommunications protocol (x) (block 96). Upon configuration of thecommunications channel (a), the configuration tool 52 determines ifthere are more communication channels to configure (block 98). If thereare no more communication channels to configure, the process 86 endsand/or returns to a calling process or routine (block 102).

On the other hand, if there are more communication channels toconfigure, then the configuration tool 52 proceeds to configure anothercommunications channel, for example, communications channel a+1 (block100) by choosing a communications protocol for that communicationschannel (a+1) (block 90) and sending a communication via thecommunications channel (a+1) using the communications protocol (x)(block 92). As stated above, the configuration tool 52 then determinesif a response has been received (block 94).

If, after sending a communication over the communications channel (a), aresponse is not received at block 94, the configuration tool 52determines if the most recent attempt at obtaining a response over thecommunications channel (a) using the communications protocol (x) isgreater than or equal to or less than a pre-set number (n) of attempts(block 104). If the most recent attempt is less than the pre-set number(n) of attempts, then the attempt counter will increment by 1 (block106), and the configuration tool 52 will again attempt to obtain aresponse by sending a communication via the communications channel (a)using the communications protocol (x) (block 92). However, if theattempt at communicating via the communications channel (a) using thecommunications protocol (x) is greater than or equal to the pre-setnumber (n) of allotted attempts (block 104), the configuration tool 52will abort attempts at communicating via the communications channel (a)using the communications protocol (x). Typically, the attempt counterwill not surpass the pre-set number (n). However, in the event of asystem override or other disruption that may cause the configurationtool 52 to attempt communication n+1 or more times, the configurationtool 52 has the ability to abort attempting to configure the samecommunications channel using the same communications protocol when therehas been no response.

After attempting communication to the communications channel (a) usingthe communications protocol (x) at least n times, the configuration tool52 determines if there are more communication protocols to try (block108) because the field device coupled to the communications channel (a)may use a communications protocol other than the communications protocol(x). If there are more communications protocols to try, theconfiguration tool 52 selects another communications protocol, forexample communications protocol x+1 (block 110) and again sends acommunication via the communications channel (a) using the differentcommunications protocol (x+1). The configuration tool 52 may repeat thisprocess for any number of communication protocols. If, after attemptingcommunication via the communications channel (a) using thecommunications protocol (x) at least n times and determining that thereare no more communication protocols to try (block 108), theconfiguration tool 52 determines if there are more communicationchannels to configure (block 98). If there are no more communicationchannels to configure, as stated above, the process 86 ends or returnsto a calling process or routine (block 102). If there are morecommunication channels to configure, then the configuration tool 52proceeds to configure another communications channel, for example,communications channel a+1 (block 100) by choosing a communicationsprotocol for that communications channel (a+1) (block 90), sending acommunication via the communications channel (a+1) using thecommunications protocol (x) (block 92) and proceeding through theprocess 86.

The methods described in FIGS. 4 and 5 may be implemented periodicallyto check for changes in the process control system 10. However, asstated above, the operator usually has pre-knowledge or information ofthe process control system 10 configuration and, thus, knows when aparticular communications channel 28 should be configured orreconfigured. In addition, the configuration tool 52 may include acommand to reconfigure all of the communication channels 28. Such acommand requires the implementation of either method described withFIGS. 4 and 5 for each communications channel 28 in the process controlsystem 10.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example processor system that may beused to implement the example apparatus, methods, and articles ofmanufacture described herein with FIGS. 1-5. As shown in FIG. 6, theprocessor system 210 includes a processor 212 that is coupled to aninterconnection bus 214. The processor 212 includes a register set orregister space 216, which is depicted in FIG. 6 as being entirelyon-chip, but which could alternatively be located entirely or partiallyoff-chip and directly coupled to the processor 212 via dedicatedelectrical connections and/or via the interconnection bus 214. Theprocessor 212 may be any suitable processor, processing unit ormicroprocessor. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the system 210 may be amulti-processor system and, thus, may include one or more additionalprocessors that are identical or similar to the processor 212 and thatare communicatively coupled to the interconnection bus 214.

The processor 212 of FIG. 6 is coupled to a chipset 218, which includesa memory controller 220 and an input/output (“I/O”) controller 222. Asis well known, a chipset typically provides I/O and memory managementfunctions as well as a plurality of general purpose and/or specialpurpose registers, timers, etc. that are accessible or used by one ormore processors coupled to the chipset 218. The memory controller 220performs functions that enable the processor 212 (or processors if thereare multiple processors) to access a system memory 224 and a massstorage memory 225.

The system memory 224 may include any desired type of volatile and/ornon-volatile memory such as, for example, static random access memory(“SRAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), flash memory, read-onlymemory (“ROM”), etc. The mass storage memory 225 may include any desiredtype of mass storage device including hard disk drives, optical drives,tape storage devices, etc.

The I/O controller 222 performs functions that enable the processor 212to communicate with peripheral input/output (“I/O”) devices 226 and 228and a network interface 230 via an I/O bus 232. The I/O devices 226 and228 may be any desired type of I/O device such as, for example, akeyboard, a video display or monitor, a mouse, etc. The networkinterface 230 may be, for example, an Ethernet device, an asynchronoustransfer mode (“ATM”) device, an 802.11 device, a DSL modem, a cablemodem, a cellular modem, etc. that enables the processor system 210 tocommunicate with another processor system.

While the memory controller 220 and the I/O controller 222 are depictedin FIG. 6 as separate functional blocks within the chipset 218, thefunctions performed by these blocks may be integrated within a singlesemiconductor circuit or may be implemented using two or more separateintegrated circuits.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe appended claims either literally or under the doctrine ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process control system to control a pluralityof field devices, the process control system comprising: a controldevice; and an input/output card, the input/output card having acommunication protocol component, the communication protocol componentcomprising: a first communications channel that is selectivelyconfigurable to use one of a plurality of communication protocols and tocommunicate with at least one of the field devices, and a secondcommunications channel that is selectively configurable to use one of aplurality communication protocols and to communicate with at least oneof the field devices, wherein the first channel, when configured to usea first communication protocol, communicates with a first one of thefield devices while the second channel, when configured to use a secondcommunication protocol, is enabled to simultaneously communicate with asecond one of the field devices, wherein the second communicationprotocol is different than the first communication protocol, whereineach of the plurality of communications channels is coupled to arespective reconfigurable component of the communication protocolcomponent and the reconfigurable components are configurable using aconfiguration application associated with the process control system,and wherein the configuration application is enabled to selectively andindependently configure the reconfigurable components.
 2. A processcontrol system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first or the secondcommunication protocol is selectable for each of a plurality ofcommunications channels associated with the field devices.
 3. A processcontrol system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control device isconfigured to assign addresses to the field devices.
 4. A processcontrol system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a handheldconfiguration tool, wherein the handheld configuration tool isconfigured to assign addresses to the field devices.
 5. A processcontrol system as defined in claim 1, wherein the configurationapplication is created using one tool.
 6. A process control system asdefined in claim 5, wherein the one tool is an application configured tohe executed via a workstation.
 7. A process control system as defined inclaim 1, wherein the configuration application is incorporated within anobject-oriented database.
 8. A process control system as defined inclaim 1, wherein the configuration application is self-documenting.
 9. Aprocess control system as defined in claim 1, wherein the configurationapplication provides information related to the sensing of the fielddevices by the input/output card.
 10. A process control system asdefined in claim 1, wherein the configuration application is configuredto clear address assignments of the field devices.
 11. A process controlsystem as defined in claim 1, wherein the configuration application isconfigured to use a device definition to describe an input, an output,or a parameter associated with a particular one of the field devices.12. A process control system as defined in claim 11, wherein the devicedefinition is imported into a configuration database in a bulk format orthrough a user creation.
 13. A process control system as defined inclaim 11, wherein the device definition is generated using a productdescription.
 14. A process control system as defined in claim 11,wherein the device definition is created as the particular one of thefield devices is added to the process control system.
 15. A processcontrol system as defined in claim 11, wherein cues for creating thedevice definition are provided to a user based on a communicationprotocol used to communicate with the particular one of the fielddevices.
 16. A process control system as defined in claim 11, whereinthe configuration application is configured to generate signal tags withlabels related to the device definition.
 17. A process control system asdefined in claim 1, wherein the configuration application is configuredto generate device alerts on a per field device basis for any one of aplurality of communication protocols used to communicate with the fielddevices.
 18. A process control system as defined in claim 1, wherein theprocess control system is configured to use the input/output card and aredundant input/output card.
 19. A process control system as defined inclaim 1, wherein the configuration application supports pass-throughcommunications from a workstation-based device configurationapplication.
 20. A process control system as defined in claim 1 furthercomprising a redundant input/output card, the redundant input/outputcard having a second communication protocol component, the secondcommunication protocol component comprising: a third communicationschannel that is selectively configurable to use one of a plurality ofcommunication protocols and to communicate with at least one of thefield devices, and a fourth communications channel that is selectivelyconfigurable to use one of a plurality communication protocols and tocommunicate with at least one of the field devices, and wherein thethird channel, when configured to use the first communication protocol,communicates with the first one of the field devices or a third one ofthe field devices, while the fourth channel, when configured to use thesecond communication protocol, is enabled to simultaneously communicatewith the second one of the field devices or a fourth one of the fielddevices, wherein each of the plurality of communications channels iscoupled to a respective reconfigurable component of the secondcommunication protocol component and the reconfigurable components areconfigurable using a configuration application associated with theprocess control system, and wherein the configuration application isenabled to selectively and independently configure the reconfigurablecomponents.
 21. A process control system as defined in claim 1, whereinthe communications protocol component further comprises: a thirdcommunications channel that is selectively configurable to use one of aplurality of communication protocols and to communicate with at leastone of the field devices, wherein the third channel, when configured touse a third communication protocol, communicates with a third one of thefield devices while the first channel, when configured to use the firstcommunication protocol, is enabled to simultaneously communicate withthe first one of the field devices, and the second channel, whenconfigured to use the second communication protocol, is enabled tosimultaneously communicate with the second one of the field devices,wherein the third communication protocol is different than the firstcommunication protocol and the second communication protocol, andwherein the third channel is coupled to a respective reconfigurablecomponent of the communications protocol component that is selectivelyand independently configurable using a configuration applicationassociated with the process control system.
 22. A process control systemas defined in claim 21 further comprising a redundant input/output card,the redundant input/output card having a second communication protocolcomponent, the second communication protocol component comprising: afourth communications channel that is selectively configurable to useone of a plurality of communication protocols and to communicate with atleast one of the field devices, a fifth communications channel that isselectively configurable to use one of a plurality communicationprotocols and to communicate with at least one of the field devices, anda sixth communications channel that is selectively configurable to useone of a plurality communication protocols and to communicate with atleast one of the field devices, wherein the fourth channel, whenconfigured to use the first communication protocol, communicates withthe first one of the field devices or a fourth one of the field devices,while the fifth channel, when configured to use the second communicationprotocol, is enabled to simultaneously communicate with the second oneof the field devices or a fifth one of the field devices, while thesixth channel, when configured to use the third communication protocol,is enabled to simultaneously communicate with the third one of the fielddevices or a sixth one of the field devices, wherein each of theplurality of communications channels is coupled to a respectivereconfigurable component of the second communication protocol componentand the reconfigurable components are configurable using a configurationapplication associated with the process control system, and wherein theconfiguration application is enabled to selectively and independentlyconfigure the reconfigurable components.
 23. An input/output card foruse in a process control system, the input/output card comprising: acommunication protocol component comprising: a first communicationschannel to establish communications between at least one of a pluralityof field devices and a control device using a first of one of aplurality of available communication protocols, and a secondcommunications channel to simultaneously establish communicationsbetween at least another of the plurality of field devices and thecontrol device using a second one of the plurality of availablecommunication protocols, wherein the second communication protocol isdifferent than the first communication protocol, wherein each of theplurality of communications channels is coupled to a respectivereconfigurable component of the communication protocol component and thereconfigurable components are configurable using a configurationapplication associated with the process control system, and wherein theconfiguration application is enabled to selectively and independentlyconfigure the reconfigurable components.
 24. An input/output card asdefined in claim 23, wherein the first or second communication protocolis selectable for each of the plurality of field devices.
 25. Aninput/output card as defined in claim 23, wherein the input/output cardis configurable remotely.
 26. An input/output card as defined in claim23, wherein the input/output card is configured to automatically sensethe field devices.
 27. A method of controlling a plurality of fielddevices, the method comprising: initializing an input/output card thatincludes a communication protocol component having a plurality ofreconfigurable components that are respectively coupled to a pluralityof communications channels; configuring the reconfigurable components ofthe communication protocol component by extending a configurationapplication associated with a control system, wherein the configurationapplication is enabled to selectively and independently configure thereconfigurable components; configuring a first communications channel ofthe plurality of communications channels to use a first of a pluralityof available communication protocols; and configuring a secondcommunications channel of the plurality of communications channels touse a second of the plurality of available communication protocols,wherein the second communication protocol is different than the firstcommunication protocol; communicating with one of the field devices viathe first communications channel using the first communication protocol;and simultaneously communicating with another of the field devices viathe second communications channel using the second communicationprotocol.
 28. A method as defined in claim 27 further comprisingselectively configuring the input/output card to use the firstcommunication protocol or the second communication protocol for each ofthe plurality of field devices.
 29. A method as defined in claim 27further comprising using a control device to assign addresses to thefield devices.
 30. A method as defined in claim 27 further comprisingusing a handheld configuration tool to assign addresses to the fielddevices when a control system is offline.
 31. A method as defined inclaim 27 further comprising creating the configuration application usinga single tool.
 32. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the singletool is an application running on a workstation.
 33. A method as definedin claim 27 further comprising incorporating the configurationapplication into a single object-oriented database.
 34. A method asdefined in claim 27, wherein the configuration application isself-documenting.
 35. A method as defined in claim 27 further comprisingusing the configuration application to provide information related tothe sensing of the field devices by an interface card.
 36. A method asdefined in claim 27 further comprising using the configurationapplication to clear address assignments of the field devices.
 37. Amethod as defined in claim 27, wherein the configuration applicationuses a device definition to describe an input, an output, or a parameterof a particular one of the field devices.
 38. A method as defined inclaim 37 further comprising importing the device definition into aconfiguration database in a bulk format or via an interaction with auser.
 39. A method as defined in claim 38, wherein the user creates thedevice definition from a product description.
 40. A method as defined inclaim 37, wherein the user creates the device definition as theparticular one of the field devices is added to the control system. 41.A method as defined in claim 37 further comprising providing cues forcreating the device definition to the user based on the communicationprotocol used to communicate with the particular one of the fielddevices.
 42. A method as defined in claim 37 further comprising usingthe configuration application to generate signal tags with labelsrelated to the device definition.
 43. A method as defined in claim 27further comprising using the configuration application to generatedevice alerts on a per field device basis for any one of a plurality ofcommunication protocols.
 44. A method as defined in claim 27 furthercomprising supporting redundant interface cards.
 45. A method as definedin claim 27 further comprising supporting pass-through communicationsfrom a workstation-based device configuration application.
 46. A machineaccessible storage device or storage disc comprising instructions that,when executed, cause a machine to control at least one of a plurality offield devices by: initializing an input/output card that includes acommunication protocol component having a plurality of reconfigurablecomponents that are respectively coupled to a plurality ofcommunications channels; configuring the communication protocolcomponent by extending a configuration application associated with acontrol system, wherein the configuration application is enabled toselectively and independently configure the reconfigurable components;configuring a first communications channel of the plurality ofcommunications channels to use a first of a plurality of availablecommunication protocols; and configuring a second communications channelof the plurality of communications channels to use a second of theplurality of available communication protocols, wherein the secondcommunication protocol is different than the first communicationprotocol; communicating with one of the field devices via the firstcommunications channel using the first communication protocol; andsimultaneously communicating with another of the field devices via thesecond communications channel using the second communication protocol.47. A machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined inclaim 46, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine toselect the first communication protocol or the second communicationprotocol for each of the plurality of field devices.
 48. A machineaccessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 46,wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to use acontrol device to assign addresses to the field devices.
 49. A machineaccessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 46,wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to communicatewith a handheld configuration tool to assign addresses to the fielddevices when a control system is offline.
 50. A machine accessiblestorage device or storage disc as defined in claim 46, wherein theinstructions, when executed cause the machine to create theconfiguration application using a single tool.
 51. A machine accessiblestorage device or storage disc as defined in claim 50, wherein thesingle tool is an application running on a workstation.
 52. A machineaccessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim 46,wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to incorporatethe configuration application into a single object-oriented database.53. A machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined inclaim 46, wherein the configuration application is self-documenting. 54.A machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim46, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to use theconfiguration application to provide information related to the sensingof the field devices by an interface card.
 55. A machine accessiblestorage device or storage disc as defined in claim 46, wherein theinstructions, when executed cause the machine to use the configurationapplication to clear address assignments of the field devices.
 56. Amachine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim46, wherein the configuration application uses a device definition thatdescribes an input, an output, or a parameter associated with aparticular one of the field devices.
 57. A machine accessible storagedevice or storage disc as defined in claim 56, wherein the instructions,when executed cause the machine to import the device definition into aconfiguration database in a bulk format via interaction with a user. 58.A machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim57, wherein the device definition is user generated from a productdescription.
 59. A machine accessible storage device or storage disc asdefined in claim 56, wherein the user creates the device definition asthe one of the particular field devices is added to the process controlsystem.
 60. A machine accessible storage device or storage disc asdefined in claim 56, wherein the instructions, when executed cause themachine to provide cues for creating the device definition to the userbased on the communication protocol used to communicate with theparticular one of the field devices.
 61. A machine accessible storagedevice or storage disc as defined in claim 56, wherein the instructions,when executed cause the machine to use the configuration application togenerate signal tags with labels related to the device definition.
 62. Amachine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim46, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to use theconfiguration application to generate device alerts on a per fielddevice basis for any one of a plurality of communication protocols. 63.A machine accessible storage device or storage disc as defined in claim46, wherein the instructions, when executed cause the machine to supportredundant interface cards.
 64. A machine accessible storage device orstorage disc as defined in claim 46, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted cause the machine to support pass-through communications from aworkstation-based device configuration application.
 65. A method ofusing an input/output card including a communication protocol componenthaving a plurality of reconfigurable components respectively coupled toa plurality of communications channels in a process control system tocommunicate using a plurality of communication protocols, the methodcomprising: configuring the communication protocol component byextending a configuration application associated with a control system,wherein the configuration application is enabled to selectively andindependently configure the reconfigurable components of theinput/output card; configuring at least first one of a plurality ofcommunications channels of the input-output card to communicate with atleast one of a plurality of field devices using a first communicationprotocol; and configuring at least a second one of the plurality ofcommunications channels of the input-output card to communicate with atleast another one of the plurality of field devices using a secondcommunication protocol, wherein the first and second communicationschannels are to use the first and second communication protocols,respectively, simultaneously, wherein the second communication protocolis different than the first communication protocol.
 66. A method asdefined in claim 65 further comprising selecting the first communicationprotocol or the second communication protocol for any of the pluralityof field devices on a per connection basis.
 67. A method as defined inclaim 65 further comprising configuring the input/output card remotely.68. A method as defined in claim 65, wherein the input/output card isconfigured to automatically sense the field devices.